This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Alleigh and Kaelyn have both been back to school now for two weeks. Of course rather than things feeling like they are slowing down and falling into a normal routine life seems busier than ever. It seems there is constantly a blog deadline I am racing to meet. Papers to fill out in the girls folders. Lunches to pack. Swim lessons will be starting again soon. The girls and I have been asked to be in my cousin’s wedding at the end of October. And those are just the things off the top of my head. Top that off with the fact that I’ve entered the third trimester of my fourth pregnancy and I can tell you this mama is dead tired. So when dinner time rolls around I don’t have the energy to prepare a complex meal or the time to consider made from scratch cooking. Props to those that can pull of those meals – but for this mama it just isn’t happening.

For these reasons and more I am always on the look out for quick easy meal solutions. Having these meals taste like I’ve been slaving away in the kitchen all day long is always an added bonus. And so while shopping in Kroger’s the other day I was intrigued by some new Hormel products I stumbled across. One which would make a perfect lunch time solution and the other which would be perfect for dinner time. Score two for mom!

The lunch time solution I found was the new Hormel Hot Sandwich meats which are available in a variety of flavors including Philly Steak, Tequila Lime Steak, Tequila Lime Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, and Buffalo Chicken. Each variety comes in a convenient tub which is great for storing the leftovers. Plus preparing it is super easy. Simply take off the lid, pierce the plastic a few times, toss in the microwave for a minute, stir, place back in the microwave for another minute or so and that’s it! This buffalo style chicken would be perfect on some thick toasted bread and I’m willing to bet the hubby will be adding this to the grocery shopping list to pack in his lunches for work. We’ll have to try the other flavors too.

But what I was truly excited about were the new Everyday Scratch products. At Hormel they know that today’s busy lifestyles have redefined the meaning of scratch cooking without even knowing it, but their Everyday Scratch products are finally making it official. With Hormel’s Everyday Scratch products the main part of the meal – the fully cooked protein – is already complete so you can make it your own. There are lots of varieties available including Rotisserie Style Chicken, Flame Seared Chicken Breast, Fusilli Pomodoro with Grilled Chicken, 6-Cheese Macaroni with Grilled Chicken, Roasted Garlic Cheese Risotto with Grilled Chicken, and Flame Seared Carnitas which is what we gave a try while making soft tacos.

Making these delicious tacos was so easy thanks to the Everyday Scratch Flame Seared Carnitas. I removed the cardboard wrapper and lid then placed the sealed package directly in the microwave for two and a half minutes. When it was done cooking I allowed it to sit for about 2 minutes and then peeled away the plastic covering revealing super tender juicy marinated pork. Next I shredded the pork for the tacos. This literally required no effort because it was so tender it just fell apart… yes, I may have snuck a few tastes, hehe.

Once the meat was prepared…. a total of maybe 5 minutes tops all that was left to do was assemble the tacos. Soft taco shell, topped with Everyday Scratch Flame Seared Carnitas, and then piled with lettuce, sour cream, cheese, and tomatoes. So simple and completely ready in roughly 15 minutes. Yet by how tender and juicy the pork tasted you would have guessed I had spent hours marinating and slow cooking the meat. But shhhhhh!! That’s just mine and Hormel’s Everyday Scratch little secret, hehe.

If you’ve found yourself in a lunch or dinner time rut I highly suggest giving these two new Hormel products a try. My family absolutely raved about the tacos and I now want to give all of the Everyday Scratch products a try. If you want to check out what’s #NewFrom Hormel too be sure to print off these coupons for both the Hot Sandwich Meats and Everyday Scratch products before heading to your local Kroger’s. These coupons are available through October 31st 2014 and expire 30 days from the print date and are only available in certain areas. Check to see if you qualify!

This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

8 Responses to Made From Scratch Cooking The Easy Way Thanks to Hormel

I will totally be looking for these when I go grocery shopping on Sunday! The tacos looked simply awesome. I hate taking forever to make huge meals in the kitchen, and these would totally help me out in that department.